The Adventures of Murundio
by Shadow Van Helsing
Summary: Murundio came to Dracula's Masquerade ball for revenge. But things don't always go to plan and Murundio joins Van Helsing, Anna and Carl as they attempt to stop Dracula from bringing his undead babies to life. But can they succeed?
1. Chapter 1

**I took a break from writing my other Van Helsing Fanfiction to write this. I'll finish it off when I finish my other Fanfiction.**

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It was easy for Murundio to worm his way into the Masquerade Ball at Velkova Palace. All he had to do was show up in costume and a mask and he was let in, no questions asked. He found that a little weird but Murundio shrugged it off.  
This was a very peculiar scene, this was. There were Gypsy Street Performers, fire-eaters, jugglers, tight-rope walkers and high wire acro-bats. Dozens and dozens of people of people wore masks of various descriptions.  
Murundio remained unfazed by his peculiar surroundings and instead scanned the faces of everyone surrounding him, looking for someone in particular.  
Hidden in his jacket was a silver stake, destined for the monster that had taken his beloved wife, Aleera.  
Count Dracula.  
Murundio heard the palaces doors open and he turned to see who had entered. He sighed in disappointment. It was just two men, not the wicked Count.  
One of the men sported a large cape and black mask while the other was dressed as a scrawny jester.  
"Well, this is different," the jester remarked.  
"Dracula must have something up his sleeve," the masked one replied. Murundio frowned.  
"So in situations like this, do we have a solid plan? Or do we just improvise?" the jester asked.  
"A bit of both, actually," the masked one replied.  
Murundio's frown deepened. What were these two on about? Despite himself, Murundio felt himself begin to get curious and he followed the two men to the banquet table. The banquet was filled with all sorts of food. The two men including Murundio inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of well-prepared food.  
"Smells wonderful, doesn't it?" the jester said.  
"Not everything," the masked one remarked.  
"What do you smell?"  
The masked one inhaled deeply a second time.  
"Everything. Warm pretzels, juniper juice, ladies perfume and rotted human flesh."  
Murundio's mouth tightened and he took another sniff of the air. He couldn't smell out of the ordinary.  
"You really know how to put the damper on the evening," the jester muttered. Murundio decided that he had heard enough.  
"Who are you guys?" he asked. The jester and masked one whirled around to face him.  
"Depends on who's asking," the masked one said.  
"My name is Murundio Munwelle," Murundio replied.  
"What are you doing here, Murundio?" the masked one asked.  
"Dracula stole my wife away from me. I'm here to get even with him." Murundio showed them the silver stake. He saw the masked one frown.  
"What are your names?" Murundio asked.  
"My name is Gabriel Van Helsing," the masked one said.  
"I'm Friar Carl," the jester said. Murundio raised an eye-brow.  
"Van Helsing? As in the most wanted man in Europe?"  
"It would seem so. Dracula has taken something from us, also. A young woman named Anna Valerious. Carl and I have come to get her back," Van Helsing explained.  
"Well good luck with that," Murundio snorted. "He already took my wife, Aleera, and I have no doubts he'll do the same with your Anna."  
"Aleera was your wife?" Carl asked.  
"Naturally. She was a gentle creature before Dracula took her," Murundio said.  
"That must have been tough," Van Helsing said. Murundio looked around.  
"It would be easier to spot the Count from there," he said, pointing to the second story balcony.  
"Good thinking," Gabriel said.

Murundio was right- they could see much better up on top of the second storey balcony.  
"Ah, there they are," Carl said, pointing to a line of dancing people. Murundio heart stopped when he caught sight of the Count. He was dancing with a pretty girl dressed in an orange dress. Murundio guessed she was Anna Valerious.  
He put a hand on the silver stake. Van Helsing noticed the movement.  
"I wouldn't put too much faith in that, Murundio," he said.  
"What do you mean? The only way to kill a vampire is sunlight, holy water and a stake through the heart."  
"I've already tried," Van Helsing said. Murundio glanced over at Van Helsing.  
"You staked Dracula? So why isn't he dead?"  
"I don't know. The things that kill other vampires don't seem to have an effect on Dracula."  
"That is very alarming," Murundio replied.  
"Yes it is," Van Helsing murmured. He scanned his surroundings.  
"Carl, I have an idea," Van Helsing said.  
"I'm not going to like it, am I?" the friar asked. Van Helsing grinned wickedly.  
"See that fire-eater down there next to where Dracula and Anna are dancing?"  
"Yes," Carl said suspiciously.  
"I want you to go down there, and when you see me, give him a little nudge," Van Helsing said. Carl paled but made his way to the stairs.  
Murundio watched as Van Helsing eyed the highwire acrobats. One of them swung close to where they were standing and Van Helsing reached out, caught him, and delivered a blow to the acrobat's stomach. As the acrobat cried out and doubled over in pain, Van Helsing kicked his had before launching himself foreword off the balcony on the swing.  
Suddenly, the acrobat Van Helsing had beaten snapped his head up, revealing long, pointy fangs.  
The acrobat was a Vampire!  
Without thinking, Murundio lurched himself foreword, whipped the silver stake out of his jacket, and staked the vampire where it lay.  
The acrobat screamed and exploded. There was another cry and Murundio looked over the balcony and saw that Dracula was on fire. He watched as Van Helsing swooped in, grab the woman named Anna, and swing back up to the balcony. Murundio quickly got out of their way.  
"Anna! Anna, wake up!" Van Helsing said to the woman, shaking her slightly. Anna's eyes cleared and she let out a groan of anger, tearing the various jewellery pieces off herself.  
"Gabriel," came the smooth silky voice of Count Dracula. Murundio's lip curled in distaste. He peered over the balcony, along with Van Helsing. Dracula had lined all the people in the room up.  
"Oh, Gabriel," Dracula repeated, meeting Van Helsing's eyes. Dracula then met Murundio's eyes and smiled.  
"Welcome to my Summer Palace, boys" he sneered. There was a shout at the doors.  
"Master! Master! Look Master, look!" one of the little girls cried.  
"We have him, Master! We have him!" a man with a twisted back proclaimed. He was leading a group of what Murundio recognised as Dwergi. They were carrying a chained up-  
Wait, what _were_ they carrying?  
It looked like a man, except it's skin was mottled and deformed, it's head bold, and where it's heart should be, was a glass case with strange green energy sparking around inside it.  
"Aaaagh you wretched Undead! I shall have my revenge!" it shouted pityingly. Murundio was confused but he felt sorry for the poor creature. He looked over to Van Helsing and noted he had gone very pale and very still.  
"Though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil!" the creature continued.  
"No. This can't happen," Van Helsing breathed. He looked defeated and Murundio realised there was more at stake here than getting even with Dracula.  
"You are nothing but damned bones! And damned souls! Who will burn in the flames of heeeell!" the creature shouted. Murundio felt a sudden need to rescue the creature.  
Dracula turned back around to face them, clearly gloating.  
"Now that everything is as it should be… ladies and gentlemen… I give to you… VAN HELSING!" Dracula shouted. Suddenly, all the people in the room opened their mouth and sprouted fangs. Murundio's breath froze.  
The entire place was filled with Vampires! How were they to escape?  
'C'mon!" Van Helsing hissed to Murundio and Anna.

They ran through the Palace, the vampires not too far behind them.  
"How do we escape?" Murundio asked.  
"There's a decent body of water around the palace, we just need to find the right window!" Van Helsing replied.  
"Where's Carl?" Anna asked as they entered a room.  
"Here I am!" Carl said happily, coming around the corner. He carried a strange contraption in his hand that looked suspiciously like a grenade.  
"Now I know what it's for! Now I know what it's for!" he smiled, but then frowned.  
"Where are we going?" he asked.  
Murundio, Van Helsing and Anna all answered at the same time.  
"Through that window!"  
Carl let out a cry as Anna and Van Helsing grabbed him by the elbows and crashed through the window. Murundio looked behind him and saw that Carl had dropped his contraption. It had started to glow a bright golden colour. The door opened and a bunch of vampires entered, hissing and shouting. Murundio wasted no time in jumping out the window after the others. His body hit the water and went under just as the world was lit up by a brilliant golden light. Murundio came up out of the water just as the light faded.  
"Carl, you're genius!" Van Helsing grinned as dozens of smoking Vampire bones fell into the water around them.  
"A genius with access to unstable chemicals!" Carl said a little worriedly.  
"That was amazing!" Murundio said. He went to help Anna, who was struggling to keep afloat with that big orange dress of hers.  
There was a sudden shout and Murundio twisted around in the water to see the twisted little man on a boat with the Dwergi paddling. Chained to mast was the creature from inside. He wore the most saddest look on his face and Murundio felt his heart open up to the monster.  
Van Helsing gave a cry of anger, and started to swim after the boat. The twisted little man shouted orders to the Dwergi in Hungarian and the Dwergi started to paddle the boast faster.  
"Say goodbye to your friends," the little man smirked, waving to Van Helsing. There was shrieking sound and a metal gate was lowered, cutting Van Helsing off from the boat.  
"I'll find you! I'll find you and set you free! I swear to God!" Van Helsing shouted to the creature.  
Dracula flew past in his bat form.  
"God hasn't helped you in years, Van Helsing! Why should he start now?" Dracula shouted. There was a high pitched laugh and Aleera- Murundio's beautiful Aleera- joined Dracula as they flew away. Murundio, Carl and Anna swam up to the gate.  
"I must save him," Van Helsing murmured.  
"Who is he, anyway?" Murundio asked.  
"He is called the Frankenstein Monster. Dracula wants to use him to bring his dead children to life," Van Helsing answered.  
"Dead children?" Murundio asked. Van Helsing shook his head.  
"It's a long story."  
"You can't save him, Van Helsing," Carl said sadly. Van Helsing turned sharply to face him.  
"What, why?"  
"I cabled Rome earlier to apprise them of our situation," Carl answered.  
"And what did they say?"  
"That even if you somehow kill Dracula, Rome orders you to kill Frankenstein as well."  
"He isn't evil." There was an edge to Van Helsing's voice that Murundio didn't like.  
"Yes, but they say he isn't human either," Carl answered.  
"Do they know him?! Have they talked to him?! Who are they to judge?!" Van Helsing shouted, suddenly angrily.  
"They want you to destroy them so that he may never again be used for evil," Car said in a frightened tone.  
"Yeah, did you tell them what I'm to become?!" Van Helsing shouted. He lurched forward in the water and wrapped a hand around Carl's throat.  
"Did they tell you how to kill me?! Of the correct angle of the stake that enters my heart?! The exact measure of silver in each bullet, huh?!" Van Helsing shouted, enraged as he lifted Carl out of the water.  
"No, stop!" Anna shouted, gabbing for Van Helsing. Murundio tried to get Van Helsing to let go of Carl, but he was so strong! It was like there was other-worldy strength flowing through Van Helsing.  
"No, I left you out!" Carl chocked. Van Helsing let Carl go and swung around, shoving Murundio and Anna backwards. He roared like a beast.  
Murundio was shocked! What was this madness? What kind of monster was Van Helsing?  
Van Helsing seemed to calm down. He looked over at Carl, a guilty look on his face.  
"I am sorry," he said. Carl nodded his forgiveness. Van Helsing glanced over at Anna.  
"It's starting."  
"What's starting? What's going on? Are you some sort of beast?" Murundio asked.  
"I was bitten by a werewolf," Van Helsing answered. Murundio's eyes widened.  
"Look, Murundio, it's dangerous, what we're trying to accomplish. You could be killed," Van Helsing continued.  
"What are you saying?" Murundio asked.  
"I'm saying maybe I think it's time we said our goodbyes and parted our ways."  
"No," Murundio said sharply.  
"Van Helsing's right. We thank you for your help, but you should go," Anna said.  
"No," Murundio repeated. "Look, I came to this ball to get even with Dracula for stealing my wife and making her a vampire. I didn't get my revenge. But I sense that what you three are trying to accomplish is big and important and will potentially course trouble for Dracula. I want to help."  
"We need all the help we can get," Carl said to Van Helsing. Van Helsing sighed.  
"Alright, fine. But if you get killed, it's on your neck and I make no promises that I'll bury your dead corpse," he said.  
"Fair enough. Where to now?" Murundio asked.  
"Castle Frankenstein," Anna answered.


	2. Chapter 2

They hired a horse and cart and began the long journey to Transylvania. As they rode, Van Helsing filled Murundio in on what was going on.  
"Dracula wants to bring his dead children to life, using Frankenstein's life force. Dracula has maybe thousands of children and if he brings them all to live, they will kill millions of innocents," he said.  
"That's a little… weird," Murundio said. Van Helsing nodded his agreement. They had all changed out of their party clothes.  
"So, you become a werewolf tonight?" Murundio asked.  
"Yes. I will become that in which I hunt." He paused before continuing. "One of my last acts as a man will be not of destruction in the name of the people I work for, but of saving the life of an innocent. Frankenstein deserves to have a chance at living and the little girl who lives inside of Anna deserves to live long enough to see the ocean," Van Helsing said emotionally. Murundio raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Can you do me a favour?" Van Helsing asked.  
"Yeah? What is it?" Murundio asked. Van Helsing took a deep breath.  
"When I become a werewolf, I want you, not Anna or Carl, to do the right thing and put a silver bullet in my heart."  
Murundio breathed in sharply as the weight of what Van Helsing just said hit him.  
"Alright," Murundio said uncertainly. He shifted away from Van Helsing, slightly taken aback, and began a conversation with Anna.  
As it turns out, Anna was a gypsy princess who had sworn to destroy Dracula so that her family could enter heaven. She had grown up in the town of Vaseria and had been trained in the art of swordplay and fighting.  
Anna had an older brother named Velkin, whom Murundio learnt was dead. Her father, Boris Valerious, had died at the hands of Dracula and her mother, Fiona Valerious, was killed by one of Dracula's vampire brides. Anna had also mentioned that she had two younger siblings, but they had 'disappeared' (Easter Egg for my other fanfictions, ha! Ha!).  
Murundio's backstory was a little less glamorise.  
His mother had passed away from tuberculosis when Murundio was but a baby and as such, he had been raised by his father in London. His father was butcher and had begun to teach Murundio the skills of the trade, hoping that Murundio would one day take over the butchery. When Murundio was twenty, he married Aleera. Life was good until the Count came to London.  
Murundio didn't know it, but Count Dracula had come to London to employ Dr Victor von Frankenstein.  
The Count had set eyes upon Aleera and in one bite, taken her from Murundio. Murundio was devastated and he vowed revenge, and since then, he had pursued Dracula relentlessly across Europe. But the Count was smart and he soon shook Murundio off his trail. Five years later, Murundio received his lucky break, killing a vampire that had received an invitation for Dracula's All Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball.  
And now, here he was, hell-bent on destroying the monster that had dare set eyes upon Aleera.

"They must have taken all the equipment to Dracula's lair!" Anna said once they had reached Castle Frankenstein. She was right- the room was empty. Murundio could hear the disappointment in her voice.  
"Where-ever that is," Van Helsing said in a dangerously low voice. Without a cry of anger, he picked up a piece of equipment the Dwergi had left behind and used his werewolf-strength to hurl it across the room.  
"Why must everything be so DIFFICULT?!" he shouted. Anna and Carl rushed to calm him down. Murundio stayed back, suddenly nervous.  
"There's still time! Dracula can't bring his children alive until the sun sets," Carl said quickly.  
"The sun sets in two hours! We've been looking for him for over four hundred years!" Anna protested.  
"Yeah, well, I wasn't around for those four hundred years, now was I?" Carl shot back.  
"What do you mean?" Murundio asked.  
"I found some clues back at Valerious Manor that might be helpful," Carl explained.  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Van Helsing said, suddenly calm.

It took them an hour to reach Valerious Manor. Murundio was taken aback by how big it was, but he supposed that was the perks of being a Gypsy Princess. Carl led them into a sort of library in the main tower.  
"Alright Carl, what have you leant?" Van Helsing asked. Carl immediately pointed a portrait off the wall.  
"Who's that?" Murundio asked.  
"My Great Grandfather, Valerious the Elder," Anna answered.  
"Yes, and Count Dracula was the son of Valerious the Elder," Carl said. He turned to Anna.  
"The son of your ancestor."  
"Everyone knows that, what else?" Anna said, unimpressed.  
"Whoa, wait! Doesn't that make Dracula your Great Uncle?" Murundio asked.  
"Yes," Anna said simply. While Murundio stared at Anna open mouthed, Carl continued to prattle on.  
"According to this rubbing, it all started when Dracula was murdered."  
"Do you know who murdered him?" Van Helsing asked.  
"No, no. It says some vague reference to the Left Hand of God," Carl said dismissively.  
"Anyway, in 1462, when Dracula was murdered, he made a deal with the Devil," he said.  
"And was given a new life," Van Helsing murmured.  
"But the only way he could sustain that life was by drinking the blood of others," Anna continued.  
"Dracula didn't become a vampire in the usual way. Instead, the Devil himself granted it. That explains why he can't be killed the usual way. But the Devil doesn't do things for free. Dracula must have one greatest weakness," Murundio noted.  
"Um, excuse me, are you going to let me tell the story?" Carl asked, annoyed.  
"Sorry," Anna and Van Helsing said at the same time. Murundio merely rolled his eyes.  
"Now your ancestor, having sired this evil creature, went to Rome to seek forgiveness. That's when the bargain was made was made. He was to kill Dracula, in return for entire salvation, right down the line, all the way to Anna," Carl said.  
"But he couldn't do it. As evil as Dracula was, my ancestor couldn't kill his only son," Anna said.  
"So, he banished him to an icy fortress, sending him through a door from which was no return," Carl finished.  
"That must be what my Father was looking for in here, clues to the door's location," Anna breathed.  
"You know, your Grandfather could have left a note or something. I mean, if he wanted someone else to kill his son, it would have taken him no less than five minutes to write one. Or if he wanted to be subtle, he could have marked it on that map of Transylvania that you've got in the armoury," Murundio said dryly.  
Van Helsing jumped like an idea had struck him.  
"I know what the door is!" he said, excitedly. Turning, he walked away quickly. Carl hissed something under his breath and they all followed Van Helsing. He led them to the room with the map of Transylvania.  
"So your Father spent ages looking at the map for the door. I think he was right. I think _this_-" Van Helsing gestured to the map. "-is the door. He just didn't know how to open it!"  
"So how are we supposed to open it?" Murundio asked.  
"Hey look! That Latin inscription, maybe it works like that painting in the tower," Carl pointed.  
"What painting?" Murundio asked, but was ignored.  
"If this was a door, my father would have opened it long ago," Anna said. Carl began to read the Latin inscription. Murundio was doubtful that this could be the door, but that couldn't stop his hoped from rising. Perhaps finally, after all these years, he could avenge Aleera-  
"I can't finish the inscription!" Carl cut in to his thoughts. Murundio felt his heart sinking.  
"There's a piece missing!" he said. Van Helsing stared at the spot where the piece was missing, a thoughtful look on his face.  
"That's because your father didn't have this!" he said, pulling something from his coat. Murundio saw it was the missing piece. He frowned.  
"How on Earth-"  
"Where did you get that?" Anna cut in.  
"Carl, finish it!" Van Helsing said. Carl obeyed and from the missing piece, began to read.  
"In the name of God, open this door," Van Helsing said. Then something quite amazing happened. The map, which Murundio had been staring at intently, faded and quite suddenly, he was staring at his face.  
"What the…?" Murundio gasped, taking a step backward.  
"It's a mirror," said Carl.  
"Dracula has no refection in the mirror," Anna put in, confused.  
"Yes, but why?" Van Helsing asked.  
"Does it matter? This is not the door, it a mirror!" Murundio snapped.  
"Maybe to Dracula it's something else," Carl said.  
"A mirror's a mirror," Murundio insisted. Van Helsing reached his hand out to touch the mirror. Murundio's eyes widened as his hand passed right through the mirror.  
"Mirrors don't normally do that," he said dumbly. Van Helsing's entire hand had passed through the mirror.  
"What do you feel?" Carl asked.  
"It's cold," Van Helsing said. He moved his hand out of the mirror and stared at it.  
"And it's snowing," he said, eyeing off some snowflakes that had fallen in his hand. Anna couldn't help but smile. But Murundio was weary of the mirror. What was on the other side?  
Van Helsing grabbed a flaming torch off the wall.  
"See you on the other side," he said.  
"Wait!" Anna caught him before he could take another step. A look passed between them and Murundio realised there was something going on between them.  
"Be careful," Anna said. Van Helsing gave her a small nod before taking a step forward. He was immediately engulfed by the mirror. Before Murundio's eyes, Van Helsing had disappeared. Anna followed him almost immediately, leaving Carl and Murundio by themselves.  
"I don't want to go," Carl said in a tiny voice.  
"Be brave, Carl," Murundio said.  
"Fine. But you first."  
Murundio stared at the mirror grimly and walked foreword to the mirror. Taking a deep breath, he pressed himself into the mirror. He didn't know what awaited for him on the other side. But he was about to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**I made a music video for Van Helsing:) Just past this into google: **_ watch?v=oRS9fV9egf8_ (**I don't know why this thing won't let me paste the full URL in. Anyway, it'll be the one called _'Voodoo Child- Van Helsing music video)_**  
**Please check it out:)**

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The first thing Murundio noticed on the other side of the mirror was the cold. It was the kind of cold that got into everything and sapped at the warmth.  
Then he noticed the Castle.  
It was huge! The biggest thing Murundio had ever seen in his life, and he had seen a lot of Castles.  
He fell in beside Anna and Van Helsing.  
"Where are we?" he asked.  
"Castle Dracula," Anna answered.  
"They don't make Castles like they used to," Murundio commented.  
"When have they _ever _made them like this?" Van Helsing asked. They started to walk foreword. Behind them, Carl stumbled out of the mirror. He saw the giant Castle and let out a small cry. Turning around, he tried to go back into the mirror but he slammed into it and bounced off.  
"How are we supposed to get back?" Murundio asked.  
"The curse should lift when we defeat Dracula," Van Helsing answered.  
"Hey! Wait up!" Carl shouted, walking quickly to catch up with them.  
"Do we have a plan?" he puffed. "It doesn't have to Wellingtons at Waterloo but some sort of plan would be nice."  
"We're going to go in there and stop Dracula," Van Helsing said.  
"And kill anything that gets in our way," Anna finished. They approached the massive entrance of the castle, which was made out of iron, rusted shut, and covered in slippery ice for good measure. The transom above the door was thirty feet up, well out of reach.  
"How in God do we get pass that?!" Murundio said.  
"I'll figure something out," Van Helsing muttered.  
"Well, you let me know how that goes," Carl said, huffily walking off. Van Helsing shook his head and grabbed Carl's robe.  
"We don't have time for this," he said through clenched teeth. Then he wrapped his arms around all of them, and hurled himself upwards. Murundio let out a string of curses as Van Helsing scaled the gate like it was nothing, and then let himself drop on the other side. The impact of the drop should have killed Van Helsing. But it didn't and it made Murundio realise just how powerful werewolves were.  
Van Helsing let them go and stumbled forward, retching in pain.  
"As grateful as I am to be out of the cold,_ that _doesn't seem like a good thing!" Carl said, frightened. Van Helsing turned to face them and Murundio gasped.  
Van Helsing's face was contorted and his teeth seemed sharper. A look came over his face- a look of animal madness- and then quite suddenly, the fit passed and Van Helsing was himself again.  
"Definitely not a good thing," Murundio agreed with Carl.  
"We better get moving," Van Helsing said, walking foreword. They followed him. They were in a massive foyer with high walls, pillars and ceilings.  
"Judging from the size of the place, I don't think it's for a man bound by gravity," Murundio commented.  
"Um, what are those?" Carl asked, pointing upwards. Van Helsing followed his gaze and his lip curled with disgust.  
"Vampire eggs. Hundreds of thousands of Vampire eggs."  
"Gross!" said Carl.  
There was a noise and the man with the twisted back- whom Murundio knew now as 'Igor'- rounded the corner carrying a bundle of cables.  
"Igor do this, Igor do that," Igor complained. The twisted man looked up and saw them and froze.  
"How did you find... It's impossible!" he shouted, dropping the cables and breaking into a panicked run.  
In one fluid motion, Van Helsing produced one of his hand-held buzz saws and through it at Igor. The weapon flew through the air and caught Igor by the sleeve, pinning him to the rock wall.  
"Please! Please don't kill me!" he begged as they approached him.  
"Why not?" Van Helsing asked.  
"Well… I… um," Igor stumbled, unable to think of a reason. Neither could Murundio, for that matter.  
They heard a familiar sound. Frankenstein was shouting from somewhere nearby. The shouting was coming from next to Igor, through a barred window. They peered through it and Murundio was appalled by what he saw.  
Frankenstein appeared to be trapped in a large chunk of ice, with only his neck and head free. Attached to the ice was chains and pulleys. A loud shrieking sounded, making Murundio flinch.  
"My Master has awakened," Igor said, silly half-smile on his face. The pulley started to rise and the chains snapped taut and the block of ice started to rise. Murundio glanced at Van Helsing to see that he was white with anger. In desperation, he began to furiously pull at the bars, his werewolf-venom-fuelled strength making them bend. But werewolf strength or not, the bars didn't break and Van Helsing let go, slamming his hand into them in frustration.  
Frankenstein watched Van Helsing, a sad look on his face.  
"There is a cure," he whispered.  
"What?" Van Helsing stumbled.  
"Dracula, he has a cure to remove the curse of the werewolf! Go find the cure! Save yourselves!"  
And then Frankenstein was gone. Gone to his doom. Murundio felt sorry for the monster.  
"Come on, let's find the cure!" Anna said.  
"No, wait. Why does Dracula have a cure?" Van Helsing asked.  
"I don't care! C'mon Van Helsing, let's find the cure. I can't lose you along with my brother!" Anna said desperately.  
"Van Helsing has a point. Why does the King of the Vampires need a cure for lycanthropy? Especially since he controls them?" Murundio asked. Van Helsing turned to Igor.  
"Why does he need a cure?!" Van Helsing shouted. Igor clamped his mouth shut.  
"Because, the only thing that can kill him is a werewolf! The painting, that's what it meant!" Carl said excitedly.  
"What painting?" Murundio asked again, but was again ignored.  
"But Dracula has been using werewolves to do his bidding for centuries!" Anna protested.  
"Yes, but if one ever had the will to turn on him, he would need to cure to cure the werewolf before it bit him," Carl said. Van Helsing pulled the blade out of Igor.  
"You are going to take these three and lead them to the antidote," he snarled.  
"No I'm not!" Igor shouted. Van Helsing raised the blade threateningly.  
"Yes I am," Igor muttered.  
"Here's the plan," Carl said. "When the bell begins to toll midnight, you'll change into a werewolf. We just need to get the cure into you after you kill Dracula," Carl said.  
"The thing is, you _have _to kill Dracula before he influences you, otherwise, you'll be his forever," Murundio said.  
"That's insane! Van Helsing, please can we go look for the cure?" Anna pleaded.  
"No! I've been given an opportunity to destroy Dracula, and that's what I'm going to do!" Van Helsing said.  
"Anna, it'll be fine! You, Carl and I can go look for the cure, while Van Helsing can go up there and defeat Dracula. It'll be easy!" Murundio said. Anna still didn't look convinced.  
Van Helsing snatched a pair of wire-cutters off Igor.  
"If you ever suspect him of misleading you, clip off one of his fingers!" Van Helsing snarled, handing the wire-cutters to Anna.  
"I'll clip off something," Anna said, narrowing her eyes at Igor. Murundio raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.  
"The tower over there, that's the Black Tower. The cures there," Igor said desperately. He didn't appear to be happy to go with Anna, especially after that threat.  
"Yeah? And what about those stairs over there?" Van Helsing asked. Igor clamped up.  
"Give me the wire-cutters," Van Helsing said.  
"That's Devil's Tower! It's where we have reassembled the laboratory! Would I lie to you?" Igor said quickly.  
"Not if you wanted to live!" Van Helsing snarled. He turned to Murundio.  
"Remember your promise- if you guys can't get the cure into me, then silver in my heart will be the only other option!" Van Helsing handed Murundio the silver stake.  
"Don't worry- I'll do what I think is right," Murundio asked.  
"That's all I ask, my friend," Van Helsing said softly. He shoved Igor towards them and Murundio placed a firm grip on his shoulder.  
"C'mon," said Carl. Murundio shoved Igor foreword and they started to walk towards Black Tower. After a few minutes, Murundio realised Anna wasn't with them and he turned to find her with Van Helsing. As he watched, they kissed.  
So it was true, there was something going on between them!  
It made Murundio remember what it was like to be with Aleera, and it brought a sad smile to his face. Love was a cruel, cruel game.  
After a while, Anna and Van Helsing broke off the kiss and she hurried towards Murundio and Carl.  
This was it- Murundio, Carl and Anna would find the cure for Van Helsing, while Van Helsing battled the Son of the Devil himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Igor lead Murundio, Anna and Carl up the stairs of the tower. After a little prodding, it turned out the deformed little man could move pretty fast-especially since his life depended upon it.  
"You know Dracula is going to kill you, right?" Murundio told him. Igor merely ignored him.  
"After your usefulness fades, Dracula will snap your little neck."  
Igor remained silent and Murundio grinned. He glanced at the gypsy Princess and saw that she was biting her lip.  
"What are you thinking about?" He asked. Anna sighed.  
"The future."  
"What about it?" he asked.  
"Up until now, my life and the lives of my family have been built around righting a wrong of the past. But now, victory is in my grasp, and maybe, just maybe, I will have a shot of leading something of a normal life," Anna said.  
"Van Helsing has no past and you live you live in your past. I think both of you need to forget about it, and start looking towards the future," Murundio said.  
"And what of your future?" Anna asked. That question caught him off-guard.  
"I don't know," Murundio admitted. "There isn't much holding me together except the need for revenge and when that's gone... To be honest, I don't see a place for me in this world. I don't think I can live with myself."  
"I know what you mean." Anna said quietly. "After Dracula is defeated, what is my purpose in life?"  
"Look, I don't know much about you and Van Helsing, but I think he can give you a future. I suggest you stick with him," Murundio said.  
"Um, guys? I'm still here," Carl said and Murundio sighed.  
They reached the landing at the top of the stairs, where they saw an arched doorway. Inside was a room that looked like it had been calved of stone. In the centre of the room was a pedestal, upon which was a glass filled with a clear, white substance. Suspended in the middle of it was a physician's needle filled with a red liquid. Igor made a move but Anna stopped him with a glare.  
"I'll go first," she said.  
"As you wish, Princess," Igor sneered. Anna stepped towards the pedestal, weary of any traps Dracula might have placed. Murundio took a step forward into the room, eyes darting around.  
And then everything went wrong.  
Murundio heard a shout of surprise and Carl crashed into him, sending him sprawling on the ground in the room. He heard a metal _clang_ and looked up to see that Igor had brung a metal gate down, trapping the trio in the room.  
"Stay as long as you like! You try to get Igor but Igor get you!" Igor laughed, running away.  
"He sounds very pleased with himself," Murundio muttered. Anna let out a string of bad words.  
"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Carl asked.  
"Well, if we must, we can use that window," Murundio said.  
"You know, I really don't have a head for heights," Carl replied. They gathered around the jar, staring at it hard.  
"Go ahead, grab it," Anna told Carl.  
"You go ahead and grab it. If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that never be the first one to stick your hand in a something you don't know," Carl replied. Murundio stared dumbly at his reflection. Another pair of eyes stared right back at him.  
"What the…?!"  
The trio swung around as one of Dracula's vampire brides suddenly appeared, flashing her fangs at them.  
"Hello Aleera," Murundio said quietly.  
And that's when things really went to Hell.

* * *

**So yeah, really short chapter but I thought it would be a good idea to end it here.  
Just in case anyone didn't pick it up, Both Anna and Murundio was talking about suicide. Murundio is sad coz Aleera was taken from him and he's questioning his place in the world. Once he get's his revenge, what is his purpose? Anna has spent her whole life trying to right a wrong of the past and she never expected herself to live long. But now that she's been given the opportunity to be free of the curse, what is she to do?**

**Keep up the reviews, guys, because it's really encouraging:)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Aleera was as beautiful as the day she had died. She circled the trio, her eyes lingering on Murundio.  
"Did I scare you?" she asked sweetly. Carl shook his head.  
"No," he trembled. Aleera laughed.  
"Then maybe I need to try a little harder. Murundio, my love, how have you been?"  
"Do not call me that- I am not your love and you're not the woman I married," Murundio said coldly. Aleera cocked her head curiously at Murundio.  
"But Murundio, I am the woman you married," Aleera purred, smiling. But Murundio shook his head.  
"No, the woman I married died the day Dracula took her. The monster standing before me is but a shadow of the one I loved." Murundio aimed his silver stake at Aleera.  
"The real Aleera would want me to do this," he said. That's when Anna made her move. Stepping forward, she pushed the glass jar off the pedestal. The glass smashed on the stone floor, spraying Aleera with acid. She let out a blood curdling scream as it melted her skin. The cure went rolling away.  
"Grab it! Grab it!" Anna shouted. Carl hastily grabbed the cure.  
Anna picked up a piece of the glass that had acid in it and used it to melt the iron gate.  
"C'mon, c'mon! We have to get the antidote to Van Helsing!" She shoved Carl through it. Murundio gave Carl the silver stake.  
"Go!" he hissed. Carl obeyed. Suddenly, Murundio felt hands that might as well be made out of iron grip him and send him flying across the room. He hit his head hard, splitting the skin around his temple.  
"You can't go until I say you can go," Aleera hissed at Anna. The Princess was in trouble! Murundio had to get up- had to do something! But against a force like Aleera, they were powerless.  
"And I say you can go when you're DEAD!" Aleera shouted, hurling Anna across the room. She landed beside Murundio. Anna gave him a panicked look and they both quickly got to their feet. Like a cat stalking a cornered mouse, Aleera approached them, half-smile on her face. Anna scowled at her and ran for the nearest wall, grabbing a flaming torch. Turning quickly, Anna shoved the torch in Aleera's face. Murundio waited for the Bride to go up in flames. He was disappointed when she simply blew the flame out. Laughing, Aleera waved her hand and all the torches in the room blew out.  
Murundio cussed as the room was plunged into darkness. Lightning illuminated the room and Aleera's ghostly face. She met Murundio's eyes and gave a grin-  
And then Murundio blinked and suddenly she was gone. With a curse, he moved up next to Anna.  
"Where'd she go?" he asked.  
"Sssh, she's still here in the room," Anna hissed, still clutching the torch. They moved towards the iron gate. If only they could get out of this room, then they might have a chance. The problem was, Aleera could see in the dark- giving her a significant advantage over them.  
_As if she doesn't have enough advantages over us_, Murundio thought sarcastically. He heard giggling to his left and whirled around. Aleera wasn't there. She could kill them at any moment and they knew it. It was only a matter of time before Aleera got tired of playing her little games and moved in for the kill.  
Blood from his injured head dripped into his eyes, blurring them. He hastily rubbed at them. When his vision cleared, Aleera was _right there_. He tried to warn Anna, who hadn't seen her, but Aleera blurred and Murundio was once again thrown across the room. She slammed her hand under Anna's chin with such force, that the princess's head snapped back and she crumbled to the ground, out cold.  
By that point, Murundio knew they were going to die if he didn't do something _right now_. But what?  
"Why did you leave me for Dracula?" Murundio asked, in an effort to stall. Aleera sniggered at him.  
"Dracula is my one true love. He gave me the gift of immortality and I am bound to him," she said simply.  
"No, you were bound to me! We were married! I loved you, Aleera. And you loved me," Murundio spat.  
"Yes, but that was the old me. This is the new me." Aleera's eyes shone sadly at Murundio. "You look at me, and all you see is a monster. You will never understand what it is like to be a vampire- how freeing it is. Yes, I loved you, my dear Murundio, but I love Dracula more."  
Beside her, Anna stirred. Aleera's eyes hardened.  
"And this _witch _is hell bent on destroying my children and my future with Dracula. You see, my Master has always had his eyes on her. But no more!" Aleera transformed into her bat-form, her long white teeth flashing in the lightning.  
"You will not take my Master away from me, Anna Valerious!" she hissed, picking Anna up by the throat. Anna was too dazed to do anything.  
"Put her down!" Murundio shouted. Aleera bared her fangs at him.  
"Be happy with the knowledge that I shall weep over both your dead bodies," she said. Her fangs lengthened and she prepared to bite Anna.  
"Aleera… please!" Murundio begged. He prepared to rush at her… to do something at least before they died. As Murundio prepared to move, something crashed into the room. Murundio thought for a split second that Van Helsing had used some of his exploding liquid but then he realised that it was a figure that had crashed through the window.  
The Frankenstein Monster!  
He had crashed through the window (Although Murundio didn't know how) and slammed into Aleera, making her drop Anna.  
The Monster…  
Had saved their lives.  
But they weren't out of trouble yet. Aleera recovered quickly and lunged for Anna. But Frankenstein grabbed her and pulled her pack- just out of reach of Anna.  
"Go!" he shouted. "Go and help Van Helsing!" In one movement of super-human strength, he hurled Aleera across the room. Anna looked unsure.  
"Don't worry, we got did covered," Murundio told her.  
"Thank you," she whispered. "Both of you."  
Frankenstein nodded and turned to deal with Aleera. Murundio wasn't sure what he could do. When he looked back to see where Anna was, he saw that she was pushing herself out of the window on a cable. He heard Frankenstein give a cry and turned to see that Aleera backhand the monster with her supernatural strength. Frankenstein went flying. Aleera snarled and tried to fly out the window to stop Anna.  
"No!" Murundio shouted and grabbed at Aleera. He managed to grab hold of her taloned feet before she flew out the window. His arms were nearly jerked out of their sockets as she surged forward. Suddenly, they were out of the Castle and into open air. Murundio looked down and a wave of vertigo hit him.  
They were so high up that he couldn't even _see _the ground. He held on to Aleera for dear life as she twisted and flew fast, trying to shake him off. She was so focused on shaking him off that she didn't see Anna swinging on the wire, cure in hand. Aleera crashed into Anna which sent the princess flying. Murundio lost his grip on Aleera and suddenly, he was falling…  
Falling to his death.  
_So this is how it ends_, Murundio thought grimly as he saw the ground far, far below him, rushing up to greet him.


	6. Chapter 6

But the ground never got to greet him. Murundio was suddenly jerked upwards as Aleera wrapped her strong taloned feet around his shoulders.  
"What are you doing?!" Murundio howled in surprise. Aleera didn't say anything. Instead she dumped him on a ledge and turned her attention to Anna, who had pulled herself up onto the ledge, cure in hand.  
"Anna! My love! It is your blood-"  
"Aleera!" Murundio cut in sharply. Aleera turned to face him and for the first time, Murundio saw the struggle playing out on her face.  
"Aleera I…" Murundio couldn't finish his sentence. Aleera had been turned by Dracula, had all the power at her fingertips and was beautiful behind words as a vampire. But all those things didn't matter. Dracula might have owned her, but she still loved Murundio. That was why she had saved him- why he wasn't dead yet. And Murundio had just seen it written all over her face. Perhaps the old Aleera, his Aleera, was still in there somewhere. There was only one way to free her.  
"Aleera, you don't have to do this," Murundio said softly. Her face turned sad.  
"But don't you get it? A vampire can never belong with a mortal. That's why I had to go with Dracula- my only chance of having a life- a real life, was with Dracula," she said.  
"I know, Aleera. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything," he said softly. Her eyes narrowed.  
"Sorry for what?"  
"I love you, Aleera, and I always will."  
"What are you doing?" she was starting to get really suspicious now. That was when Carl appeared behind her and threw the silver stake.  
Murundio caught it, and without thinking, aimed for Aleera's heart. Aleera screamed as she felt the stake pierce her heart. Her scream reached new heights as she shrivelled up and exploded.  
"Now, you are free," Murundio whispered.  
Anna and Carl were looking at him, unsure what to say.  
In the end, they didn't have to say a thing.  
"C'mon," Murundio said. "Let's go save Van Helsing."

Anna insisted that she run ahead of Murundio and Carl.  
"I'm faster than the both of you. Times almost up," she said. Murundio hesitated.  
"Are you sure?" Carl asked.  
"Yes. Van Helsing has always come for me. But tonight, I will be coming for _him_!"  
"Alright. Be careful," Murundio said. He eyed the Gypsy Princess with admiration as she sped off with the cure.  
_Van Helsing and Anna will be good for each other_, he thought. And hopefully, Van Helsing could defeat Dracula.  
Yes, he would love to see the look on the Count's face when Van Helsing transformed into the werewolf.  
"Let's go, Carl."

Murundio and Carl entered the laboratory. Machines whirled and sparks rained down upon them. With all the noise and action, it took Murundio and Carl a second to spot the werewolf. When they did, both of them realized something was very, very wrong. The werewolf was standing over a red couch with Anna lying unmoving on it.  
In a flash, Murundio realised that the cure hadn't worked. Van Helsing had defeated Dracula but they had failed to get the cure to him in time. There was only one thing to do now. It was time for Murundio to live up to his promise. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out his silver stake. He ran foreword towards the werewolf, the silver stake aimed for Van Helsing's heart. His aim was true- he could not miss. At the last moment, Van Helsing swung around, catching the stake before it could pierce his flesh.  
Murundio cursed as Van Helsing roared in anger. Then, quite suddenly, the animal madness left his eyes and was replaced with recognition. He let go of the stake and Murundio stumbled back, confused. As Van Helsing twisted fully around to face him, Murundio saw what he had missed- the empty syringe sticking out of the werewolf's stomach.  
Anna had done it!  
Oh… Anna…  
Shifting his gaze from Van Helsing, Murundio's eyes fell upon the gypsy princess's blank, unmoving eyes.  
"She's dead," Carl said mournfully from beside him.  
Looking up, he realised Van Helsing had come to the same conclusion. The saddest look Murundio had ever seen came upon the werewolf's features.  
Whimpering, he gathered Anna in his arms and howled his sorrow to the moon.  
Carl too, was crying.  
Although Murundio hadn't known Anna for long, he felt tears streaming down his face. Van Helsing shed his werewolf form one last time and clutched Anna closely.  
Murundio, unfortunately could relate to Van Helsing's pain and anguish. He too, had lost his lover, although perhaps for Van Helsing, it was much worse because he had killed her.  
Either way, the two of them were both heart-broken.  
Van Helsing had lost his Anna and Murundio had lost his Aleera.  
Love was a cruel, cruel game.

The sunset tinted everything orange and the light danced off the ocean far below the cliff face. Van Helsing had insisted on building the pyre for Anna himself, saying that it was the least he could do after he had killed her. Even though Murundio and Carl had insisted that it wasn't his fault, Van Helsing would still shake them off and say 'I should have found a way'.  
When the pyre was done, he gently lay Anna down on it, tears threatening to stream down his face. He then went to go light a torch.  
Murundio stood back, feeling like an outsider. He bowed one last time to the gypsy princess before turning away to face the ocean.  
Far off in the distance, Frankenstein's creation paddled away, off to start a new life.  
At least he had a purpose. Murundio himself was unsure how to proceed.  
Dracula was dead and his revenge was complete. He had given Aleera peace and even helped to save part of the world. He had hoped that once he had completed his revenge, he would find peace within himself.  
But all he felt was a deep restlessness. He had seen too much, done too much to go back to a normal life.  
Behind him, Van Helsing set fire to Anna and the pyre.  
So, what should he do now? Where should he go? Most important of all, what was his place in this world? Aleera was dead, his father had given up on him four years ago and Murundio didn't really know his other family relations.  
What happens now?  
Murundio had told Anna that there wasn't much holding him together except for his need for revenge and he hadn't been lying. Deep inside him was a restlessness and emptiness where the need for revenge had been.  
He needed something to fill that emptiness.  
But there was nothing.  
Without really thinking, Murundio took a step towards the cliff.  
Perhaps he should end it, right here, right now.  
Before Murundio could think much about it, there was movement to his left. It was Van Helsing, his eyes seeing something that Murundio could not. His face had changed. Instead of that tortured look of despair and guilt, Van Helsing's face held understanding. Anna was dead but that was not such a bad thing.  
All her life, she had thought Dracula and his evil minions, hoping to someday free her family from their curse. Now that the curse was lifted, Anna could finally be at peace with her family.  
That was the brighter side of death.  
It was her way, the Transylvanian way, and Van Helsing knew it.  
In that moment, Murundio realised that jumping was not the answer to his problem. He would need to find his purpose to fill the emptiness.  
As if sensing Murundio's emotional conflict, Van Helsing turned to Murundio.  
"You fought well, my friend. Perhaps you would want to join Carl and I in our battle to rid the world of Evil?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I work for an organisation called the Knights of the Holy Order. They're always looking for new recruits. Would you be interested?"  
Murundio was speechless. Van Helsing had just given him a purpose- a will to live. He knew exactly what to say to Van Helsing's question.  
"Yes. Yes I think I would be interested."  
Van Helsing just nodded. Peace came over them both. They stood in silence for a few moments.  
"So, where to now?" Murundio asked.  
"Rome," Van Helsing said, before placing his hat on his head.  
Murundio, Van Helsing and Carl mounted their horses before riding off into the sunset, their hearts light with purpose.

* * *

**The End!  
Is there a possible sequel in development? Depends on how much attention this fanfic gets...:D**


End file.
